wfn.org | Israel/Palestine: Violence Cannot Create Sustainable Peace

[FRANKI@ELCA.ORG]

LWF Dismayed by Cycle of Violence

GENEVA, 23 March 2001 (LWI) - Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, general secretary of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), has called on the Israeli authorities
to take the lead in re-establishing an overall environment that is conducive
to a resumption of the peace process between Israel and Palestine.

Israel, overwhelmingly the stronger party both militarily and economically,
has the capacity and responsibility to play such a role, Noko said in a
letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Together with so many people of goodwill, the LWF has followed with great
concern and considerable anguish the evolution of the current conflict
between Palestinians and the Israeli government. "We have been deeply
dismayed by what appears to be the fading of prospects for a just peace in
the region, and the continuing cycle of violence," Noko said.

The LWF general secretary underlined that a cessation of violence, a renewal
of trust and expressions of goodwill on both sides of "this tragic divide"
are a prerequisite for "peace to take its place" in the hearts of
Palestinians and Israelis alike. "Violence cannot create a sustainable
peace," said Noko.

Noko recalled that Prime Minister Sharon has spoken of the suffering that
the ongoing conflict has caused to both peoples and expressed his conviction
that "the future can and must be different." If a different future is to be
achieved "the God-given dignity of both peoples must be respected and
upheld, and the needs and rights of Palestinians must be recognized as well
as those of Israelis." UN resolutions 242, 338 and 194 recognizing those
needs and rights should be implemented, Noko emphasized.

Noko also expressed deep concern that measures currently being taken in the
name of security amount to a state of siege on some Palestinian areas, and
bring about unbearable hardships on entire populations there. Such policies,
Noko said, do not promote the rebuilding of trust or the restoration of
dialogue. On the contrary, they foment animosity and anger. He called for
measures that involve the "making of political and economic space and the
lifting of occupation."

The question of Jerusalem is central to the peace process between
Palestinians and Israelis. The LWF "has long held a vision of Jerusalem as a
city of two peoples and three faiths." Moreover, it is the spiritual home of
people worldwide. "So long as Jerusalem is not at peace, the world cannot be
at peace," Noko emphasized. Peace and security for Israel cannot be achieved
without freedom and justice for Palestinians, he added.

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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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